A US team of investigators was due in Turkey yesterday to join Turkish experts hunting for clues as to what caused the deadly plane crash that killed 57 people, a transport ministry official said.
A team from aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, now a subsidiary of Boeing, were due to examine the crash site later yesterday, said a transport ministry official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The Atlasjet MD-83 was flying from Istanbul to Isparta in Turkey's southwest early on Friday morning when it crashed on a mountain side, killing all 50 passengers and seven crew members.
It is usual for the aircraft's manufacturer to assist in any investigation of plane accidents.
Weather conditions and visibility were good when the plane suddenly disappeared from the radar a few minutes before it was supposed to land, officials have said and a transcript of the conversation between the Atlasjet pilot and the Isparta control tower, released by the Dogan news agency, did not indicate any problem.
Newspaper reports yesterday said an initial study of the crash site pointed to pilot error, suggesting that the pilot had veered several kilometers off the inbound course while landing at night.
The Transport Ministry official would not confirm the reports, saying the exact cause of the accident would emerge after the flight data and cockpit voice recorders were examined.
Yesterday, funerals were held in the Aegean port city of Izmir and in Istanbul for the plane's pilot, co-pilot, technician and one of the flight attendants. Many of the victims were buried in a funeral service on Saturday in Isparta, where thousands flocked to mosques to say prayers for the victims.
A group of physicists who were working on a national nuclear project were among the victims.
Atlasjet, a private airline established in 2001, operates regular flights inside Turkey and chartered flights to Europe and other foreign destinations.
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